I just tried the adult weight loss offering from Palm Beach, Florida-based MCI Health — I had a Bluetooth-enabled scale, mobile app and a coach named Theresa (a behavioral weight therapy interventionist). I tried it for two weeks without their pre-packaged meals, and then two weeks WITH their pre-packaged meals. Either can prove compelling for obese adults who aim to lose a substantial amount of weight in a sane, methodical way.

Coaching is the “Next Now Thing” in healthcare because smartphones are ubiquitous, and combined with constant contact via advisors armed with the right, evidence-based methodologies? It’s low cost, high touch, profoundly convenient and will prove relentlessly effective in creating better outcomes.

2 Comments

Becky BrotemarkleMay 10, 2016 @
18:35:30

Coaching for health and behavior change is definitely upon us. My concern as a professionally trained coach through an International Coach Federation (ICF) accredited school is the training and skill of these health “coaches”. I engaged with a health coach through my insurance company (just to see what they were like) and found that they basically are following a scripted call without any depth or exploration of problem behaviors.

So a call typically goes like this: This too bubbly voice on the other end of the phone says “Hi, how have you been since the last time we talked?” I say “Fine”. Still in an upbeat manner asks “Were you able to do what you said you were going to do?” I don’t want to admit I didn’t do a very good job so I say “I did it about half way.” She says “What were you able to do?” I say “I was able to walk XXXX steps on average most days but I had a couple of days where I was so busy at work behind a computer that I couldn’t find the time to walk more.” Again in an enthusisatic voice “Well, see you were able to do XXXX steps, so you should be proud of that.” “I am, but I can’t figure out a way to do more when there is less time.” “So, can you just get up once an hour and walk around for 10 minutes?” “Not really because there is so much work that it would mean I would lose over an hour of computer time in an 8 hour day” “Maybe you could try 5 minutes. Would you be willing to do that? You know, moving around is very important for your health.” I think to myself ‘Well, duh, I have been involved in exercise research off and on over the years and I have seen the benefits of exercise in participants. And I am a nurse who has probably 20 or 30 years of experience on you, but that doesn’t help me find time’ but I say “I know it is important, I guess I could try 5 minutes every hour while I’m at work” – I feel like I don’t want to disappoint her. She asks “Could you set an alarm to remind you to get up once an hour?” “Sure, I could do that.” “OK, good, when should I call you again? Maybe a couple of weeks?” “I think sooner would be better in case I need to try a different strategy” “I will call you in a week — what day works for you next week?” “How about next Thursday?” I ask. “I won’t be here that day but another coach can call you, OK?” I say, “That will be fine” but I think: ‘so much for developing a relationship with you and feeling like you care about me’. And then we say good-bye and hang up.

Any real coach would cringe at this interaction — it breaks so many of the tenets of good coaching. The “coach” just skirted around the issues by offering her ideas of what could work and her skill is clearly lacking. I missed the call from the other coach (I was in an unscheduled meeting) and eventually about a month later heard from the alternate coach. I could tell she was reading from notes from the first coach. At that point, I felt disconnected and like I was starting all over again. Some of this is not the fault of the coaches, but the fault of a system that is trying to make a good thing fit into a business model mold by thinking that almost anyone can be a coach with a little bit of direction. The truth is that professional coaches spend years in training, go through hours of supervised coaching, many more hours of coaching practice, and pass rigorous oral and written exams to become certified. My point of writing a response is that people need to look at the credentials of the coaches they engage and to realize that the help you can get from many of the coaches through insurance programs and elsewhere is very limited. For more information on what you need to know about hiring a coach, check out the ICF’s website: http://www.coachfederation.org/need/landing.cfm?ItemNumber=979&navItemNumber=568